You heard it here first, folks. I (Kay) am releasing my first original character in all of its/their vinyl greatness. This project was ONLY made possible by my amazingly generous friend and affiliate Jeremy Heyer with LoomingDoom Toys. With this write up I hope to clear the air of any confusion surrounding the vinyl toy production process as I understand there's some major nuance and misunderstanding when considering if one wants to produce their beloved characters in this capacity. From financial limitations to the literal confusion of conversing with a factory abroad (that may or may not speak fluent English), the sheer anxiety and magnitude of a project like this puts many designers off. As I, myself, navigate this somewhat unintuitive process I will dedicate my time to sharing intimate and ongoing knowledge of my experience with you.
1. THE CONCEPTION
It all started with a bang....erm...I mean a sketch. No more than two years ago I sat at my grimy baby food encrusted kitchen island sketching what are now known at the Thom Pops, my familial popsicle trio. Wells, Merritt, and Pop, three brothers who've emerged from their frost bitten and desolate home in the North Quadrant of the Freezer seek to find a fulfilling life in the new world. Beyond the kawaii cute aesthetic the brothers obviously offer, I wanted to push their identities past the singular popsicle sculpt by allowing the viewer the opportunity to deconstruct them, literally, into three stand alone pieces. I felt that this granted the chance to display and interact with the brothers both individually and together (essentially turning ONE toy into THREE). The conception phase was arguably the most candid part of the process. I was tasked with the simple request of conjuring up an original idea, easy enough, right? ;) For me the characters came naturally....as I find that I personify most everything in my day to day life regardless of the situation. Traffic cones, candles, toilets, grim or gaudy, I can assign it a personality and origin story.....plz hire me @Disney! Once you've found and solidified a genuinely invigorating concept that drives you (and I mean REALLY drives you; considering you'll be dedicating hours and hours, let alone hundreds if not a few grand, into this idea) you'll need to convert your physical sculpt or drawing into a 3 dimensional rendering to subsequently be 3D printed.
These sketches were drawn on December 2nd, 2018
2. 3D RENDERING
The 3D rendering/printing process is truly a magical mystery to me, similar to microwaves or radio broadcasting, so all I can offer in this regard is what I was asked for to help further the timeline. Your concept, sketches and/or renders of it, specific colors and gloss finishes, packaging samples, and my undivided attention were asked of me, in conjunction with like.....a million other things.
Here is an example of a 3D render. One thing worth mentioning is, this is an ongoing process that's constantly changing until your team has solidified the end product. Meaning, don't be frightened by your first few digital renders as theyre simply jumping off points and NOT your final piece! BE HONEST with your digital sculptor or you'll waste your money and everyone elses time. You will be able to notice subtle differences between the digital renders I include, from leg width and thickness to mouth depth, most everything will be tweaked.
The 3D rendering allows for quick and convenient editing of your character before you bring it into the tangible world. Above, you can probably guess the conversation that transpired; we were debating which leg sculpt is "better". I landed on the left design as I felt it mimicked a more realistic weight distribution, similar to something that had life and sentience. You will have about one billion similar conversations.
-Sketches:
Super obvious but it's worth painfully outlining each and every step. The initial sketches of my character/figure were INTEGRAL in allowing my 3D sculptor, factory, and partner to know exactly what I was trying to communicate with my toy. Traditionally you'll be asked to give 6 points of view, front, back, side + side, top and bottom. Past this I was required to sketch the "puddle" (alternate leg system) my toy would sit into. On top of that, though I wasn't required, I did a very loose/bad sculpt out of clay to offer a better perspective to my digital sculptor. These are all well within the realm of possibilities you'll be asked to accommodate. Aside from the basic character sketches youll need to provide, you'll also have to have a clear idea of your packaging. With this step, unless youre well versed in illustration, I'd say its inevitable that you'll need to budget and pay for a designer/artist/illustrator. The box your toy lives in during transit can be easily overlooked BUT consider the fact that MANY collectors display their toys with the boxes and it's essentially a secondary art piece in conjunction with your figure. Spend the necessary time and money to do it RIGHT rather than skimping in such an important area. When settling on an aesthetic or scheme for your box you should always consider what's inside (duh) and try to keep the imagry relevant, I say this because there's a LOT of info to use as fodder but it's NOT all necesary to advertise on prime box real estate. Decide for your audience what they NEED to know and what can be discovered on their own.
-Pantones: Another seemingly simple concept that has morphed into a monster of its own. Pantoning your figure. Sure, sure, sure.....deciding the colors of your toy feel effortless enough, think again, kid. Red is red until you compare it to 10-17 other reds....then it's blood red with a blue tint or maroon with a splash of orange. Outside of that you're forced to consider the glaringly obvious possibility that paint presents differently from your laptop screen VS. a plastic figure. It's a lot to gamble on when you have money tied up in the endeavour....alas, a gambe we willingly make. At this point in time I've yet to see my chosen pantones in physical form but once I do I shall valiently report back!!
3.COMMUNICATION
Perhaps the most underrated skill of the fucking universe, communication. You'll utilize the art of conversation in every step of your toy making process making it one of the most invaluable tools you could posess. Balancing confidence with kindness is an on going journey even *I* struggle with hehe. Be it your trusted business partner or a hired illustrator, you need to know how to adequately converse with your cohorts. There IS an art to speech especially when it comes to chatting with a factory about limiations....just know they'll seldom give up information....so be comfortable and know you can always ask.
I've been both commended and scolded for the way I speak to others, and again...I'm working on it! With that being said I belive it's essential that you're able to articulate ideas to a number of people who may not posess the same communication skills. Language can exist in a myriad of ways, verbal and written being the main two avenues in the Vinyl --> Factory process. So one must consider their speech styles in both regards...are you receptive to others concepts and personal creative processes? Do you harbor and encourage organic thought rather than shaming "weird ideas"? If you're in the position to produce a vinyl line (and MOST merchendising opportunities) you'll more than likely be taking a very managerial role. While that may sound fun, and believe me it *is*, it's a LOT of responsibility I hadn't allotted for.
4. BRANDING AND MARKETING
Shamelessly this is an area I believe I thrive in so I feel more than comfortable sharing my experience. Branding, and more specifically social media, is the KEY to modern success. If I had a dime for every shmuck who told me "Kay, I just don't *get* social media...." I'd be vacationing off the coast of Bali and sure as shit wouldn't be writing this blog entry ;) We get it, you're ~*aBovE*~ social media and all of its drama and cattiness, unfortunatly for you social media isn't above capitalism. Most of the platforms artists hate are the very spaces we effortlessly sell our work on, don't fight the power, join it but don't succumb.
With that being said, know your brand but more so....know who YOU are. As cliche, age old and tired as it sounds, my most authentic advice would be....be you. Unless you're a legitimately good actress/actor that's able to manipulative the masses I'd suggest taking the more organic route of speaking from the heart. I'm not even arguing to go as far as being unapologetically *YOU* as even I know that's mostly a recipe for disaster.... BUT, the less of a mask you wear the easier it is to preform, that's all I'm saying. Plus your audience will sniff it out in a heartbeat, they're bloodhounds, so better safe and authentic than sorry. IF you find that your natural personality isn't as gleaming as you once thought, perhaps you need to reconsider your career options. Tough love is still love, folks! ;)
After you've dedicated your online presence to your most authentic selfTM you're now able to focus on the inner workings of your brand and figure. I won't go TOO in depth here as I wouldn't want to inadvertently reveal any of my secret recipes but I will say you need to really look at yourself from an outside point of view. It's hard to gauge yourself accurately so it's not a terrible idea to hire someone if you have the means. If not, ask friends or family to weigh in on "your look" and what it is that makes you, you. This is, of course, if you're basing your brand on YOUR likeness....beyond that, I have little to no experience. So again, I'll write back in due time. Branding oneself can feel forced and extremely awkward, as it should, but once you fall into an appropriate look I guarantee the concept becomes easier to swallow.
TLDR; Social media doesn't come naturally for many of us BUT it's arguably the inevitable future for creatives and businesses wether we love it or not. Find a healthy balance between your online presence and your real life obligations.
6. THE BIG REVEAL
This is a phase I'm currently game planning (I'm quite unfamiliar with) and I'll concede I'm scared shitless. These early steps of teasers and official image releases can really make or break a future drop; reveal your figures process too early on and the slow burn of production could weed potential buyers out, tease the toy too late and you may not allow your followers time to financially prep. Within those parameters you still have to choose the literal content you'll share with your patrons and viewers....from the artist/creatives point of view this can be cumbersome because ALL of the updates are equally as amazing and special to us but not so much from the buyers point of view. So deciding what is both relevant and exciting for your followers to consume is crucial.
Your process will more than likely mirror mine in many regards. First and foremost you'll get a 3D print of your toy as well as (possibly***) a resin print which allows you to see your toy in a more refined and finished way compared to the 3D model. Promptly after that it'll go to your chosen factory for vinyl prototyping. These are all great opportunities to share with your following! People are always curious to learn about this process so feel more than open to educating when and where you can. Many times (I've been told) your factory will casually update you with photos here and there, more than likely not often enough to satiate someone as picky as myself, so feel free to use those new found communication skills and reach out to them. Sharing these progress photos from the factory can give your viewers an intimate behind the scenes of how toys are made and trust me they'll love it!
These are very rough 3D printed prototypes of the brothers.
The darker printed grey material is a RESIN PRINT compared to the traditional plastic that's typically 3d printed
In a similar vein, once you finally produce your figure you'll need to decide where to sell it! This SEEMS like a simple enough step but trust me there are a lot of things to consider. As of now I've decided to offer my trio exclusively through myself and no other retailer. I'll get a decent understanding of what that entails (taking orders, safe packaging, quick shipping, customer satisfaction follow up, etc) and decide if I can manage it alone. Outside of that I'll have to gauge wether or not I can muster up the audience who'll purchase enough units of my toy. I hate to be crass but MONEY is the bottom dollar and money allows artists like myself to further explore creative avenues!
7. GIVING DUE CREDIT
As much as we'd all love to take credit for the toy we've produced we have to admit it wasn't a singular effort. Bask in the glory of your hard work and earned accolades but GIVE DUE CREDIT WHERE AND WHEN IT'S DUE. At the end of the day I am so thankful to have paired up with an honest and hard working friend. Jeremy from LoomingDoom has experience, a creative touch and most importantly, infinite patience. He's able to work with people of all walks of life and speak to us with confidence, curiosity, and kindness. Surround yourself with people who genuinely love your energy and want to watch you grow. You're only as strong as your creative team so ALWAYS make them feel appreciated and heard.
*This article will be updated periodically as I progress through the process and become better versed in production toys as well as receive photos to share. Feel free to email me at CRAEFTMADE@GMAIL.COM for any questions, critiques, or corrections!*
*Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on both my blog and my instagram (@kaymaycreates) to stay keen on the release of my FIRST OFFICIAL VINYL TOY!*
